Laguna Beach Unified teachers benefit from grant program

Thirty-eight Laguna Beach Unified School District teachers were the beneficiaries of more than $87,500 from SchoolPower Endowment in the annual teacher grant program.

Laguna Beach High science teacher Carrie Denton will use her portion for a 3-D printer, while Thurston Middle School teacher Michelle Martinez has her sights set on a bone-identification lab, according to a news release.

El Morro teachers Tami Mays and Mary Blanton will use their portion for a terrace garden, while Top of the World teachers Kim Mattson and Lynda Davis will spend their portion on a coding program focused on robots.

“It’s an exciting program because it energizes teachers and gives them an extra gift,” trustee Jan Vickers said in the release.

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Every year teachers apply for grant money they can use to create innovative lessons.

A panel that includes the principal from the teacher’s school, along with Assistant Supt. of Instruction Darlene Messinger, evaluates grant applications on criteria including creativity, originality, long-term impact and whether it can be duplicated by other teachers, according to the SchoolPower website.

In addition to the annual teacher grant program, SchoolPower Endowment also gave $50,000 for foreign language as part of a 10-year, $500,000 commitment, and another $50,000 towards modernizing the Thurston library and 12 classrooms.

SchoolPower Endowment’s total giving this year to district schools was $187,531.

The Endowment is a nonprofit foundation, separate from SchoolPower, that provides capital funding for the district’s four schools. SchoolPower, established in 1981, raises funds for the district’s schools.

SchoolPower President Amy Kramer presented an additional $385,905 check, with a portion of that money helping fund class-size reductions, an additional Laguna Beach High counselor and music programs, the release said.

“The annual gift reflects the many generous donations from our community, business partnerships and district families,” Kramer said in the release.

SchoolPower and the Endowment raised $976,082 for all four district schools in the 2015-16 academic year, a record-breaking amount, SchoolPower Executive Director Robin Rounaghi wrote in an email.

For more information about SchoolPower or the teacher grant program, visit lbschoolpower.org or call (949) 494-6811.

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Bryce Alderton, bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce